Durga Pooja 2023

Uttarahalli Residents’ Cultural Association, Bangalore arrange Durga Pandal at Sri Convention Centre every year. This is popular among Bengali community in south Bangalore. Pooja, dandiya night, musical night, food stalls and more, is what you can expect at this place.

Address

Sri Convention Centre

80 Feet Rd, Banashankari 6th Stage 1st Block, 

Bharath Housing Society Layout, 

Subramanyapura, Bengaluru

Dhaatu Navaratra Mahotsva 2023

If you are from Bangalore and love visiting gombe mane during Dasara, then you can't miss this place. Dhaatu is a puppet theater and culture education centre, near Silk Institute Metro station on the Green metro line. Founded in 2004, the place uses puppetry and dolls to education kids and adults with historical epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Panchatantra and more. 

What better way of story telling, than through Dasara dolls. The collection is huge, its too HUGE, more than 10,000 dolls. From traditional dolls to modern Disney dolls, from Rama, Lakshmana to Baba Ramdev yoga dolls, from chakravyuha set to Varanasi ghat sets, they have it all. The pictures make no justice to the dolls, and the collection at all. A must must visit if you are from Bangalore.

Address

Mandala Cultural Centre

Kanakapura Road, Next to Silk Institute Metro Stn (at Metro Pillar 303),

Opp. Shell Petrol Bunk,

Talaghattapura, Bengaluru

Mom Power 360 Conference 2023

Event: Mom Power Conference 2023
Date: 29th July 2023
Venue: Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway, Bengaluru

Mom Power 360 is an initiative by Lakshmi Seshadri my dear friend, my classmate from grade 1 to 10. A mom of 3, social entrepreneur, Engineer, ex-model and Mrs. India who was crowned Mrs. Perfection among top 10 of Mrs. Universe in 2016, the accolades goes on. Her Joy Box project, which redirects surplus from community to NGOs and orphanages, has been spreading joy among those in need. Mompower360 was born with an aim to empower moms at a 360 level by bringing together experts from all walks of life to enable, motivate, inspire and support moms. 

I got to be part of their second edition - Mom Power Conference 2023, which brought in speakers and panelists who are top experts in their fields and they shared their insights, expertise and personal experiences to inspire and uplift the moms. From parenting to self-care to career development and personal growth, it covered a wide range of topics that left us feel energized and informed. 

While Athletes Nisha Millet and Bindu Rani spoke about the discipline sports brings in, Uma Sankar, Head of OD & Leadership Development, Infosys BPM, Sarita C S, EY GDS, Assistant Director -Talent Development and Amruta Joshi, Director Google Cloud shared about the privileges and opportunities offered by their companies for moms to be and also moms who want to start back their career post sabbatical. Wellness and nutrition was covered by Shraddha Amith, Director of Kshemavana and Vachana Shetty, Head of Marketing, Akshayakalpa Organic. Yet another engaging talk was by Riri Trivedi, Regression Therapist and Founder of Wellness Space who spoke about Drama Triangle, where in as mom's its always better to stay off the conflicts between dad and kid, where in you may end up a victim at the end, even though you enter into the triangle as a rescuer.  

Nilu Yuleena Thapa, a Westside Stylist and Founder and Director of the blog BIG hair LOUD mouth, showcased the Westside's range of shape wears. Seema Anand, Storyteller, Sexual Health Influencer of the year(Cosmos India, 2023), Mythologist and Author of "The Art of Seduction" who joined online, spoke about how sex takes a back seat with the motherhood roles and shared about the art of seduction. 

Event also covered Stand-up comedy by Amruta Bendre and makeup session by Essille Heisnam, MAC Retail Artistry Coach. The event ended with Poolside After Party with DJ, Comedy, Networking, dance and entertainment. 

Moms also got to win stay at Kshemavana(SDM Institute of Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences) and Malabar Gold vouchers as part of lucky draw. Akshayakalpa, Westside, Himalaya baby care, MAC came up with goodies and vouchers. 

Floral Friday Photography - Brahma Kamala

I have been lucky enough to have a south facing balcony which gets bright sunlight throughout the year. That make the balcony compatible to grow succulents like Brahma kamala. We had almost 40 blooms this year through out the season, which varies from summer to mid of rainy season. Here are few of the clicks.

Brahma kamala also called queen of night or lady of night blooms only in the night, fades away by early morning. The bud starts to bloom by 7 in the evening and blooms completely by 9 or 10PM. The flower is palm size and has a very mild fragrance which smells heavenly especially when many of them bloom at a time. Its a pleasure to watch them bloom year after year. The plant is quite hardy, like any other succulent and grows well when neglected. Less is more when it comes to watering this plant. Pruning the plant at the end of the season helps it to come up with more shoots and blooms the next season. 

Skywatch

 Its been too long that I blogged. Lot has changed in these years. I got my PGDM in General Management from NMIMS Bengaluru, so officially am NMIMS Alumni now. Along with combating on my health issues with anxiety and panic attack. There is lot that I have to share. To be back on the blog, here is the sky from my place...

This post is part of Skywatch Friday.